AI Agents Shouldn’t Have To Guess Which Services Must Be Running

An agent can have the right command and dependencies, then still fail because Postgres wasn’t ready when the integration tests started.

The usual fix is another README instruction:
Start Postgres first.

That works until an AI agent, CI job, or new developer misses it.

Ota puts that prerequisite in the execution contract. A task can declare requires_services: [postgres], allowing Ota to start the declared service and check its readiness before running the task.

The dependency travels with the task instead of living in someone’s memory or a separate setup guide.

The result is a consistent, reviewable execution path for developers, CI, and AI agents.

Want to see it in practice?

Request a free demo at [e-mail].